Thorsten Heins: Cantech Letter’s 2012 TSX Executive of the Year

Research in Motion CEO Thorsten Heins is the 2012 Cantech Letter TSX Executive of the Year.

For the first ten months of his tenure, Heins endured more doubt and scrutiny and outright ridicule than any rookie CEO should have to suffer. Regardless, he plodded on as the delay of RIM’s new BlackBerry 10 platform seemed to stretch to an eternity. But now, with BlackBerry 10 just weeks away, critics seem to be understanding that Heins is no shrinking violet. Many analysts have recently reconsidered RIM’s prospects, and decided that the worst case scenario and the most likely scenario are further apart than they first thought.

Heins was chosen by a panel of equity analysts and the readers of Cantech Letter.

Cormark analyst Richard Tse says RIM’s platform transition remains an uphill battle, but RIM’s “surprising operational progress” has given it wiggle room between BlackBerry 7 and BlackBerry 10 that many critics didn’t think the company could spare.

Byron Capital’s Tom Astle had similar praise: “He still has a massive job in front of him, but already the big ship is starting to right itself under his navigation.”

About Nick Waddell

Cantech Letter founder and editor Nick Waddell has lived in five Canadian provinces and is proud of his country's often overlooked contributions to the world of science and technology. Waddell takes a regular shift on the Canadian media circuit, making appearances on CTV, CBC and BNN, and contributing to publications such as Canadian Business and Business Insider.

I join the others in congratulating you, Thorsten, for a job well done! You have done amazing things in the short time you’ve been in charge–you and your team deserve the kudos now coming your way. All the best for 2013 and beyond.